I supported Jamie Oliver when he started his campaign, but I am getting a little tired of him now.
I think that the menu's that he has introduced to schools so far are fantastic.
When I was a kid you just got what you were given and made to sit at the table until you had eaten every last bit. It was foul. Needless to say many of my dinnerladys had been covered in my brussel sprout sick at some point in their career, and I didn't experience many afternoon lessons either, due to the fact I refused to touch the stuff and therefore was made to stay at the table by myself until hometime.
My Mom hit the roof, and from that point on I had packed lunches. The only downside to this was that when I reached secondary school, you couldn't eat in the dining hall when everybody was having their Xmas dinners, and I found myself having to eat outside in the wind, snow and sleet. I would have killed for the food kids are being offered now!
Saying that though, it does go to show that some kids will starve themselves for days at a time in order to retaliate against elders who lecture them on their eating habits, despite what the health visiters say. Jamie Oliver needs to keep this in mind.
He also needs to remember when he is threatening to throw a wobbly at parents is that adults, not unlike himself, can revert back to childhood defences when they feel threatened or upset, and making statements that tar all parents (with the exception of the most militant)with the same brush will undo all the good work he has done so far. Parents will turn off the telly. A bit of guidence is always appreciated, but this heavy come-down is a bit too much like the lectures and attitude I received as a child. Didn't we get enough of this from the government over vaccinations?
He is very lucky to have such lovely children who will eat his food, but the vast majority of children are far more picky, as he found out when they did the survey to see how well the scheme was going down with these "guinea pig" school children.
For years we have been told that a balanced diet is best, and that the occasional sweetie won't hurt. It is well stated that all kids tastes are different. They have the right to refuse a food if they hate it, just as adults do.
I was always told to persevere and be patient, and encourage children to see the joy in the food they are eating. I'm sure many children only saw Jamie Olivers scheme as "shock treatment", and who knows what the result of that may be further down the line.
I understand why it has been commented on about him having a go at parents, when he isn't the main childcarer. Being in the position of being able to work and having time away from his family may cloud his judgement a little, because he can separate himself enough do deal with problems he may encounter. If you are a full time carer with little opportunity of getting out the house, or spending 30 minutes away from your kids, for years on end, you tend to take a slightly different slant on things. It takes more than simply making a meal and putting it in front of your child, to actually get them to eat it. And neither is it just a matter of taste or looks, it is also texture.
Maybe he could give his wife a break from child raising and let her take over the reins on this parent attack for a bit while he looks after the kids. I know he has commented that she isn't that good at the food side, and that he provides her with the information she needs in order to cook, but she must be fairly competent at what she does, else his "help" would simply not work.
Just lately I have felt under pressure because of the things he has reportedly said, and I don't give my children this unhealthy diet he talks about! Even so, I do have problems with them when it comes to feeding them and have done since their first drop of breastmilk!
Some days they leave their fruit and only eat carbs. They detest meat, yet will not touch egg or lentils. Recently, my eldest gave in to Quorn burgers and I was overjoyed at this breakthrough, but am still feeling guilty because even though this is fulfilling the nutritional requirements he was lacking, I cannot get my daughter to eat it, and it is still a "ready meal". Saying that though, it is starting to get hard for me to bring myself to stand for hours preparing everything and making a meal from scratch, because I know it is all for nothing. I love cooking, but their reaction takes the joy out of it for even ME. I constantly worry about their nutrients because looking at "guidelines" they are actually getting them all, but there's no way they are eating as much as they are meant to!
When I was having serious problems with them (especially my daughters refusal to drink milk) my local health visiters were less than helpful. As I was doing everything they were suggesting already, all they could offer were weight checks and possible "protein drinks" if they found her weight decreasing.
One of my son's friends were put on this drink and now his mother has even more problems with him. Just trying to get this drink into him was hard enough and she feels controlled by the health visiters now.
I would very much like Jamie Oliver to tackle these problems before school age - maybe the problems he encountered in the schools would lessen in the future by doing this.
Actual practical advice without the uncaring lectures would be the answer to most parents prayers, and at the end of the day children are individual. They are not statistics. Caring parents know what is best for their children, not "professionals" who have never even met the children in question. If professionals REALLY wanted to help, they would work WITH the parents, not bully them into a corner because of their self-inflated ego, or because of pressure from the powers that be.
I feel that at present, Jamie Oliver is comparing everyone elses children to his own, and everyone else has to suffer because of this. It's a real shame. I had high hopes when he first started out.